Edge Cloud Broker and Method Therein for Allocating Edge Cloud Resources

ABSTRACT

The present invention faces the issue of supporting edge cloud in an NG network. There is thus provided an edge cloud broker (ECB) and a method carried out by the ECB for selecting edge cloud resources of a mobile edge computing (MEC) network, the edge cloud resources usable by a UE accessing the NG network. This method comprises: obtaining, from a first network node of the NG network, a UE&#39;s location; obtaining, from a second network node of the NG network, an identifier of an edge cloud application that the UE requests; obtaining, from a third network node of the MEC network, a location of each one or more edge cloud resources available to execute the edge cloud application; and selecting, based on at least the UE&#39;s location and the location of each one or more edge cloud resources, an applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to Edge Computing networks; and,more specifically, the invention relates to introducing Cloud servicesin an Edge Computing network.

BACKGROUND

Edge Computing (EC) enables operator and 3rd party services to be hostedclose to the access point of user equipment (UE) attachment, so as toachieve an efficient service delivery through the reduced end-to-endlatency and load on the transport network. In support for EC, the 5Gcore network selects a user plane function (UPF) close to the UE andexecutes the traffic steering from the UPF to the local Data Network(DN). This may be based on the UE's subscription data, location, policyor other related traffic rules.

Edge Computing is also referred to as Edge Cloud so that, unlessotherwise indicated in the following, EC indistinctly represents EdgeComputing and Edge Cloud. 3GPP TS 23.501 V0.4.0 discloses currentsupport for EC in 5G networks.

On the other hand, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) is a network architectureconcept standardized by ETSI that enables cloud computing capabilitiesand an IT service environment at the edge of the cellular network, e.g.a radio access network (RAN). That is, it allows bringing computing,storage and networking resources closer to the mobile subscribers. MECapplications run in MEC servers located at the network edge. MEC serverscan be deployed at multiple locations, such as at e.g. eNodeB, a 3GRadio Network Controller (RNC), etc.

FIG. 1 depicts an ETSI MEC reference architecture, which is based on anETSI Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture. MECapplications run in a virtualized fashion on top of an NFVInfrastructure (NFVI), also referred to as virtualization infrastructurein the MEC architecture.

The MEC architecture comprises a mobile edge host, also known as MECserver, which is an entity containing the virtualization infrastructureand which provides computing, storage, and network resources for themobile edge applications, and also comprises mobile edge applicationsthat are running as virtual machines (VM) on top of the virtualizationinfrastructure.

The MEC architecture also comprises virtualization infrastructuremanager, which is responsible for resource-level functions such asallocating, managing and releasing virtualized (computing, storage andnetworking) resources, preparing the virtualization infrastructure torun a software image, collecting and reporting performance and faultinformation about the virtualized resources, performing applicationrelocation, etc.

The MEC architecture also comprises a mobile edge platform, which may beregarded as a collection of functionalities required to run mobile edgeapplications on a particular virtualization infrastructure, e.g. MECserver, and a mobile edge platform manager, which interfaces with themobile edge platform and handles the management of specificfunctionality of a particular mobile edge host and the applicationsrunning on it. It is responsible for the life cycle management ofapplications including informing a mobile edge orchestrator of relevantapplication related events.

The MEC architecture also comprises a mobile edge orchestrator, which isresponsible for maintaining an overall view of the mobile edge systembased on deployed mobile edge hosts, available resources, availablemobile edge services, and topology; on-boarding of application packagesand preparing the virtualization infrastructure manager(s) to handle theapplications; selecting appropriate mobile edge host(s) for applicationinstantiation based on constraints, such as latency, availableresources, and available services; and triggering applicationinstantiation, application termination and, when supported, applicationrelocation as needed.

Apart from that, the MEC architecture also comprises a user applicationlifecycle management proxy, which allows UE applications to requeston-boarding, instantiation, termination of MEC applications and, whensupported, relocation in and out of the mobile edge system. It alsoallows informing the UE applications about the state of the userapplications.

Also, the MEC architecture comprises a customer facing service (CFS)portal, which allows operators' third-party customers (e.g. commercialenterprises) to select and order a set of mobile edge applications thatmeet their particular needs, and to receive back service levelinformation from the provisioned applications; and an operations supportsystem (OSS), which receives requests via the CFS portal and from UEapplications, for instantiation or termination of applications, anddecides on the granting of these requests. Granted requests areforwarded to the mobile edge orchestrator for further processing. Whensupported, the OSS also receives requests from UE applications forrelocating applications between external clouds and the mobile edgesystem.

Regarding the support for EC in 5G networks introduced above, FIG. 2depicts a 5G reference architecture. An EC can be considered to belocated in the local DN, the one accessed from the UPF connected to theradio access network (RAN). Some of the 5G network elements illustratedin FIG. 2 are discussed in the following.

The UE represents a terminal where a front-end of an EC application runsand is attached via radio channel to a base station. The RAN representsa radio access point. In MEC scenarios, it can host the MEC platform,allowing EC applications to be directly deployed and executed at thebase station. The UPF may represent a gateway that routes the traffictoward the EC/MEC platform (Local Break Out) and the central DN. The UPFcan be collocated within the base station or as a standalone component.

Apart from these elements, the 5G reference architecture illustrated inFIG. 2 also comprises an access and mobility management function (AMF)entity, which is in charge of UE access and mobility management andwhich thus knows the UE location; and a session management function(SMF) entity, which is in charge of the session management for the UEcommunications (i.e. establishing, handling and releasing protocol dataunit (PDU) sessions), selecting one or more UPF for the user traffic,and providing to the UPF instructions for routing according to local orexternal policies.

This 5G reference architecture may also comprise a policy controlfunction (PCF) entity supporting a unified policy framework to governnetwork behavior, and providing policy rules to other control planeand/or user plane functions, so that these policy rules are enforced,for example charging, quality of service (QoS) and/or traffic steeringpolicies; and a unified data management function (UDM) entity in chargeof storing the information of subscriber profiles, the authenticationcredential repository, etc.

Regarding conventional cloud services models, cloud providers offercloud resources to cloud consumers, typically through an intermediaryentity called cloud broker. Cloud resources can be offered following oneof three main service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

A conventional cloud broker is an entity that manages the use,performance and delivery of cloud services, and negotiates relationshipsbetween cloud providers and cloud consumers. A cloud consumer mayrequest cloud services from a cloud broker, instead of contacting acloud provider directly. The cloud broker can provide services in threecategories: aggregation, arbitrage, and intermediation.

At present, whilst costs for network growth are hugely increasing, theoperator revenues (per user and gigabyte) are decreasing. The MobileEdge Computing offers a powerful value for mobile operator's business.The MEC platform enables mobile operators to differentiate theirservice, improve quality of experience (QoE), expand into new marketsand generate revenues.

Apart from that, given the current penetration of cloud services, theinventors have recognized the needs for incorporating support for cloudservices in 5G networks along with the EC/MEC platform. As commentedabove, supporting the cloud services advantageously requiresincorporating a cloud broker.

However, currently existing cloud brokering solutions only apply to acentral cloud, i.e. they focus on providing cloud services incentralized data centers. In other words, traditional cloud brokers areintended to manage centralized cloud infrastructures (data centers)without taking into account the network's topology.

Therefore, traditional cloud brokers cannot be used for an Edge Cloud,which involves highly distributed cloud infrastructure along the networkedge.

SUMMARY

The present invention is aimed to at least minimize the above drawbacksand provides for a new method for selecting edge cloud resources of amobile edge computing, MEC, network, the edge cloud resources beingusable by a user equipment, UE, accessing a next generation, NG,network, and for an edge cloud broker, ECB, node carrying out thismethod.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an ECB node for selecting edge cloud resources of a MECnetwork, the edge cloud resources being applicable to a UE accessing anNG network.

This ECB node is operable to: obtain, from a first network node of theNG network via a receiver, a UE's location; obtain, from a secondnetwork node of the NG network via the receiver, an identifier of anedge cloud application that the UE requests; obtain, from a thirdnetwork node of the MEC network via the receiver, a location of each oneor more edge cloud resources available to execute the edge cloudapplication; and select, based on at least the UE's location and thelocation of each one or more edge cloud resources, an applicable edgecloud resource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE.

In order to better handling the execution of the edge cloud application,this ECB node may further be operable to notify, a fourth network nodeof the NG network via a transmitter, of the applicable edge cloudresource for the fourth network node to apply policies for execution ofthe edge cloud application. This notification may comprise anyone of anidentifier of the edge cloud application, a UE identifier, quality ofservice requirements, and the location of the applicable edge cloudresource.

For the sake of better selecting the applicable edge cloud resource, theECB node may further be operable to: obtain, from a fifth network nodeof the NG network via the receiver, a subscription profile for the UE;and select the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication for the UE also based on the subscription profile for theUE.

Also the sake of better selecting the applicable edge cloud resource,the ECB node may further be operable to: obtain, from a sixth networknode of an application provider domain via the receiver, requirementsfor the edge cloud application to be executed; obtain, from the secondnetwork node of the NG network via the receiver, information relating toUEs that are executing the edge cloud application in the NG network; andselect the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication also based on the requirements for the edge cloudapplication to be executed and the information relating to the UEs thatare executing the edge cloud application in the NG network.

In order to allocate the selection made, the ECB node may further beoperable to notify, the third network node of the MEC network via atransmitter, of the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edgecloud application for the UE.

In embodiments throughout this specification, the first network node maybe a node implementing an access and mobility management function, AMF,of the NG network; the second network node may be a node implementing asession management function, SMF, of the NG network; the third networknode may be a node implementing a MEC orchestrator of the MEC network;the fourth network node may be a node implementing a policy controlfunction, PCF, of the NG network; the fifth network node may be a nodeimplementing a unified data management function, UDM, of the NG network;and the sixth network node may be a node implementing an Applicationcontroller of an application provider domain.

In an embodiment of the ECB node, the location of an edge cloud resourcemay identify an edge cloud point of presence, EC PoP.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a new method for selecting edge cloud resources of a mobileedge computing, MEC, network, the edge cloud resources being usable by auser equipment, UE, accessing a next generation, NG, network, the methodcarried out at an edge cloud broker, ECB, node.

This method comprises: obtaining, from a first network node of the NGnetwork via a receiver, a UE's location; obtaining, from a secondnetwork node of the NG network via the receiver, an identifier of anedge cloud application that the UE requests; obtaining, from a thirdnetwork node of the MEC network via the receiver, a location of each oneor more edge cloud resources available to execute the edge cloudapplication; and selecting, based on at least the UE's location and thelocation of each one or more edge cloud resources, an applicable edgecloud resource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE.

In order to better handling the execution of the edge cloud application,this method may further comprise notifying, a fourth network node of theNG network via a transmitter, of the applicable edge cloud resource forthe fourth network node to apply policies for execution of the edgecloud application. In this case, notifying of the applicable edge cloudresource may comprise notifying anyone of an identifier of the edgecloud application, a UE identifier, quality of service requirements, andthe location of the applicable edge cloud resource.

For the sake of better selecting the applicable edge cloud resource,this method may further comprise: obtaining, from a fifth network nodeof the NG network via the receiver, a subscription profile for the UE;and selecting the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edgecloud application for the UE also based on the subscription profile forthe UE.

Also the sake of better selecting the applicable edge cloud resource,this method may further comprise: obtaining, from a sixth network nodeof an application provider domain via the receiver, requirements for theedge cloud application to be executed; obtaining, from the secondnetwork node of the NG network via the receiver, information relating toUEs that are executing the edge cloud application in the NG network; andselecting the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication also based on the requirements for the edge cloudapplication to be executed and the information relating to the UEs thatare executing the edge cloud application in the NG network.

In order to allocate the selection made, this method may furthercomprise notifying, the third network node of the MEC network viatransmitter, of the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edgecloud application for the UE.

As for the ECB node and in embodiments throughout this specification,the first network node may be a node implementing an access and mobilitymanagement function, AMF, of the NG network; the second network node maybe a node implementing a session management function, SMF, of the NGnetwork; the third network node may be a node implementing a MECorchestrator of the MEC network; the fourth network node may be a nodeimplementing a policy control function, PCF, of the NG network; thefifth network node may be a node implementing a unified data managementfunction, UDM, of the NG network; and the sixth network node may be anode implementing an Application controller of an application providerdomain.

In an embodiment of this method, the location of an edge cloud resourcemay identify an edge cloud point of presence, EC PoP.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a computer program, comprising instructions which, whenexecuted on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor tocarry out the method discussed above. There is also provided a computerprogram product comprising said computer program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent by reading this description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a MEC reference architecture.

FIG. 2 illustrates a 5G reference architecture.

FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary interfaces between an ECB and entities ofthe MEC and 5G architectures, in accordance with embodiments disclosedin the present specification.

FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario to support edge cloud in a 5G network, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate exemplary sequences of actions carried outby the ECB and entities of the MEC and 5G architectures in selectingedge cloud resources for a UE accessing a 5G network, in accordance withan embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary sequences of actions carried out by the ECBand entities of the MEC and 5G architectures in notifying deployment ofan edge cloud resource and further operations that might lead toupdating the previous deployment, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary sequences of actions carried out by the ECBand entities of the MEC and 5G architectures in selecting edge cloudresources for a UE accessing a 5G network, in accordance with anotherembodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary method carried out by the ECB forselecting edge cloud resources of a MEC network, the edge cloudresources usable by a UE, which accesses a 5G network, in accordancewith an embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a basic component structure of an Edge Cloud Broker inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a basic component structure of an Edge Cloud Broker inaccordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes embodiments of apparatus and method forselecting edge cloud resources of a MEC network, the edge cloudresources usable by a UE accessing a next generation (NG) network, e.g.5G network.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary and basic MEC network 100, whichincludes a mobile edge orchestrator 3. For the sake of simplicity, thismobile edge orchestrator may further be referred to as MEC orchestrator,or simply as orchestrator, and thus all three terms sharing the samenumeral reference 3 throughout this specification. This MEC orchestratorparticipates in embodiments of the method for selecting edge cloudresources of a MEC network for a UE accessing an NG network.

The edge cloud resources of the MEC network 100 may be, for example,mobile edge applications (ME app) 12 a-12 b running as virtual machines(VM) on top of the virtualization infrastructure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates a 5G network where a UE 9 accesses. This 5G networkmay comprise a RAN 10, UPFs 11 a and 11 b, an AMF 1, an SMF 2, a PCF 4,a UDM 5, and other 5G entities not directly involved in the methoddiscussed herein for selecting edge cloud resources of a MEC network fora UE 9 accessing the 5G network 200.

Generally speaking throughout this specification, a network node or anentity implementing any particular function of the MEC network or the 5Gnetwork, is simply referred to as the particular function.

That is, for the sake of simplicity, a network node implementing a UPFis referred to as the UPF 11 a or 11 b, a network node implementing anAMF is referred to as the AMF 1, a network node implementing an SMF isreferred to as the SMF 2, a network node implementing a PCF is referredto as the PCF 4, a network node implementing a UDM is referred to as theUDM 5, a network node implementing a MEC orchestrator is referred to asthe MEC orchestrator 3; and the like for other entities or networknodes. Likewise, an ECB node may be hereinafter simply referred to asthe ECB 8.

An embodiment of this method for selecting edge cloud resources 12 aand/or 12 b of a MEC network 100 is illustrated in FIG. 9, wherein theedge cloud resources are usable by a UE 9 accessing an NG network, e.g.the 5G network 200.

As shown in FIG. 9, this method comprises a step S-910 of obtaining,from a first network node 1 of the NG network via receiver 830, a UE'slocation; a step S-920 of obtaining, from a second network node 2 of theNG network via the receiver 830, an identifier of an edge cloudapplication that the UE requests; and a step S-930 of obtaining, from athird network node 3 of the MEC network via the receiver 830, a locationof each one or more edge cloud resources available to execute the edgecloud application.

This method also comprises a step S-940 of selecting, based on at leastthe UE's location and the location of each one or more edge cloudresources, an applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication for the UE.

An embodiment of this method for selecting edge cloud resources of a MECnetwork 100 is illustrated in FIG. 8, wherein the edge cloud resourcesare usable by a UE, which has accessed a 5G network 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the ECB 8 receives, during step S-800, UE'slocation information from the AMF 1; the ECB 8 receives from the SMF 2,during step S-810, an identifier of an edge cloud application that theUE requests, e.g. an App-id; and the ECB 8 receives, during step S-820,information regarding available edge cloud resources from the MECorchestrator 3.

Then, the ECB 8 may also receive, during a step S-830, UE subscriptioninformation (e.g. a subscription profile) from the UDM 5 and, during astep S-840, application requirements for the edge cloud application froman application controller 6.

In this respect, the application requirements may include an initialrequest only for delay requirements for the users of the edge cloudapplication. The application requirements may also includeCPU/memory/disk/network requirements for application instances, in orderto allow estimation of the needed edge cloud resources. The requirementsfor each application instance may depend on the number of concurrentapplication instance users.

Back to FIG. 8, during steps S-850 and S-860, the ECB 8 may query theSMF 2 for information about the UEs currently using the edge cloudapplication. Then, based on the obtained information, the ECB 8 selects,during step S-870, the edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication.

The selected edge cloud resource may be communicated from the ECB 8 tothe MEC orchestrator 3, during step S-880, and the ECB 8 may alsocommunicate to the PCF 4, during step S-890, any one of the edge cloudresource's location, UE ID, App-id, QoS requirements, etc. so that thePCF 4 can apply policies to the edge cloud application traffic.

Further embodiments of this method for selecting edge cloud resources ofa MEC network 100 are discussed in the following with reference to FIG.5 and FIG. 6, wherein the edge cloud resources are usable by a UE, whichhas accessed a 5G network 200. These further embodiments, or particularaspects thereof, can be combined with anyone of the embodimentsdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 5, the application controller 6 transmits, during stepS-500, a deployment request to the ECB 8, this request including theApp-id, the application requirements and a reference to the applicationimage to be deployed.

As commented above, the application requirements may include an initialrequest only for delay requirements for the users of the edge cloudapplication. The application requirements may also includeCPU/memory/disk/network requirements for application instances, in orderto allow estimation of the needed edge cloud resources. The requirementsfor each application instance may depend on the number of concurrentapplication instance users.

The ECB 8 obtains from the SMF 2, during steps S-510 and S-520,information about one or more UEs in the system that are executing thatapplication. Then, during steps S-530 and S-540, the ECB 8 obtains fromthe AMF 1 a UE location for each of the one or more UEs in the systemand, during steps S-550 and S-560, the ECB 8 obtains from the UDM 5 asubscriber profile for each of the one or more UEs.

As shown in FIG. 6, during steps S-600 and S-610, the ECB 8 gets from aCustomer Experience Framework (CEF) 7 statistics related to theapplication and the UEs, so that the ECB 8 can have further informationto take the brokering decisions.

During steps S-620 and S-630, the ECB 8 obtains from the MECorchestrator 3 the available edge cloud resources associated with the UElocations, for example, the edge cloud resources closer to the UElocations. In particular, the ECB may know in advance which edge cloudpoint of presence (EC PoP) may be accessed from a certain UE location.This information may be provided to the ECB 8 from the AMF 1, the SMF 2or by configuration.

Based on the information obtained by the ECB 8 between steps S-510 andS-610, the ECB may negotiate with the application controller 6, duringstep S-640, the edge cloud resources to allocate, as well as pricing andcharging details.

Eventually, during steps S-650 and S-660, the ECB 8 may request the MECorchestrator 3 to deploy, e.g. instantiate, the agreed edge cloudresources in specific Edge Clouds.

As already introduced above, FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of actionscarried out by the ECB to notify of deployment of an edge cloudresource, as well as embodiments of further operations that might leadto updating the previous deployment.

As FIG. 7 illustrates, the ECB 8 may notify the PCF 4, during stepS-700, of the deployment, indicating the App-id, UE ID, QoSrequirements, and an indication of the EC PoP. The EC PoP may beindicated to allow the proper traffic steering towards the edge cloudapplication.

During step S-710, the PCF 4 may trigger activation or installation ofcorresponding 5G control rules toward the SMF 2, and the SMF 2 maytrigger a UPF selection/reselection mechanism, during step S-720, toroute and steer the traffic accordingly. In particular, the ECB 8 maysend to the SMF 2 also indications on how to identify the traffic.

Upon acknowledges by the entities involved, during steps S-730 andS-740, the ECB 8 may notify the application controller 6, during stepS-750, of the deployment completion.

Later on, while running the edge cloud application, the ECB 8 mayreceive—in any order—any one of cloud usage statistics or reports fromthe MEC orchestrator 3 and likely per edge cloud application, duringstep S-760; mobility and/or KPI statistics from the CEF 7 likely peredge cloud application and per UE, during step S-770; QoS andapplication start/stop reports from the SMF 2 likely per edge cloudapplication and per UE, during steps S-765 and S-775; and mobilityevents report from the AMF 1, indicating any new UE's location likelyper UE and UE location, during step S-780.

Upon receipt of these information reports, the ECB 8 evaluates ifupdates are necessary, during step S-790. In particular, the ECB mayevaluate whether to trigger any the following actions: charging actionstoward the application controller 6, like e.g. a renegotiation processfor new pricing agreements; and updating the deployment of an edge cloudapplication, which might include release of edge cloud resources. Inthis respect, if updating the deployment takes place, the ECB 8 may alsonotify the PCF 4 and the SMF 2, as in steps S-700 to S-720 discussedabove. Then, the ECB 8 may also notify the application controller 6 ofthe deployment update (not illustrated in any drawing).

The ECB 8, as discussed throughout this specification, may be arrangedto support interfaces with a number of entities of the MEC network 100and an NG network, like the 5G network 200.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the AMF 1 to obtaina UE location, which is known by the AMF 1. This UE location may be ae.g. tuple comprising a UE ID and an Access Point ID.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the SMF 2. On theone hand, since the SMF knows the tuple (App-id, UE ID), the SMF maytransmit this tuple to the ECB so that the ECB can know that a certainUE is demanding a certain edge cloud application. The SMF 2 may alsotransmit to the ECB QoS-related reports.

On the other hand, the ECB 8 may query the SMF 2 to get info regardingedge cloud applications that a UE is executing and/or UEs that areexecuting a certain edge cloud application. The ECB 8 may indicate tothe SMF 2 when a certain edge cloud application is available at acertain EC PoP, so that the SMF 2 can steer the traffic appropriately.Alternatively, this can be done acting on the policy rules applicable atthe SMF via PCF 4. The ECB 8 may also notify the SMF 2 of the deploymentfor a certain edge cloud application so that the SMF can trigger a UPFre-selection.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the PCF 4 to notifythe PCF of the deployment for a certain edge cloud application so thatthe PCF can trigger the corresponding actions based on the informationreceived from the ECB and also based on internal PCF policies.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the UDM 5 to obtain,at the ECB from the UDM, a subscription profile for a certain UE, sothat the ECB can handle the edge cloud resources accordingly. Forexample, allocating more resources or providing better QoS to premiumsubscribers.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the MEC orchestrator3. On the one hand, the MEC orchestrator may communicate to the ECB inforegarding the applications. For instance, when a deployment has finished(likely upon request from the ECB), crash events, statistics reporting,etc. So, the EBC can carry out charging features appropriately.

On the other hand, the ECB 8 may query the MEC orchestrator 3 to getinfo regarding available edge cloud resources, deployments of specificedge cloud application instances in specific EC PoPs, edge cloudapplication instances in execution and/or EC PoP statistics. Inparticular, the ECB may be able to identify the EC PoP's location interms of what Access Points are associated to it.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the ECB 8 may interwork with the applicationcontroller 6. On the one hand, the application controller 6 may transmitto the ECB 8—in any order—anyone of instantiation/deployment requestsfor edge cloud applications (e.g. by sending the App-id together withinstantiation request characteristics), modification requests on edgecloud applications already in execution, and/or termination requests. Inparticular, both the ECB 8 and the application controller 6 may identifythe edge cloud application by using the same App-id.

On the other hand, the ECB 8 may transmit to the application controller6—in any order—anyone of information regarding the needed edge cloudapplication instances and their distribution to cope with the edge cloudapplication requirements (delay, throughput, etc.) for the UEs,information regarding the fulfilment or not of the service levelagreement (SLA) for the edge cloud application, renegotiation requestsfor the edge cloud application. For example, when a UE moves, thedeployed instances may not suffice, or some UEs may fall in areas wherethere is no EC PoPs, so this information is communicated to theapplication controller 6.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary and basic scenario to support Edge Cloudin a 5G network. The ECB 8 offers edge cloud resources to theapplication provider. The edge cloud resources are handled by the MECorchestrator 3, which is the entity in charge of the edge cloudapplication lifecycle management (deployment, migrations, scaling,termination).

The ECB 8 may take as input anyone of the following parameters and inany order: QoS requirements received from the application controller 6,edge cloud application instance characteristics (CPU, memory, disk,network) received from the application controller, location of UEscurrently executing an edge cloud application received from the AMF 1,subscription information received from the UDM 5 for UEs currentlyexecuting an edge cloud application, current edge cloud applicationinstances deployment, UE mobility patterns, traffic statistics, QoSreports from the network, and user's quality of experience metrics.

The ECB 8 may also carry out QoS enforcements by triggering edge cloudapplication lifecycle management actions in collaboration with the MECorchestrator 3. The traffic QoS enforcements are executed in the mobilenetwork.

Apart from that, the ECB 8 may carry out charging actions towards theapplication provider, by taking as input anyone of the followingparameters and in any order: number of UEs executing an edge cloudapplication, number of edge cloud application instances needed, edgecloud resources usage (e.g. CPU load, memory, etc.), and UPF resourcesusage (traffic load, traffic measurements, etc.).

Triggering the charging actions may be done by the PCF 4, but the ECB 8could manage the charging for edge cloud applications in a centralizedfashion, i.e. combining the traditional traffic-related charging by PCFwith the edge cloud charging.

Regarding the UE location the ECB 8 may retrieve UE location informationfrom the AMF 1, which handles UE access and mobility and is thus awareof UE location, and from a 5G Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC),which is defined in 3GPP Re1.14 for location services and is expected tobe available in 5G.

Regarding UE location granularity, it may be enough to know UE locationon a per Access Point or sector basis though other possibilities arepossible. Knowing the UE position on finer granularity (as provided by3GPP Re1.14 location services) may also help to take better decisions,e.g. on UPF re-selection.

The AMF 1 is expected to have interfaces to the 5G versions of the (4G)GMLC entity, so the AMF may provide the ECB with finer locationgranularity, without the need for ECB to contact directly the GMLCentity.

Apart from the UE location, it may also be relevant to identify the mostappropriate Edge Cloud location, which may host the MEC server for atarget application for that particular UE.

In an alternative, the operator may configure a mapping between EC PoPs,which host MEC servers for each particular edge cloud application to bedeployed, and UE location granularity, which can be per tracking area(TA), per RAN Access Point or sector or even higher granularity. Thismapping may help to identify the most appropriate UPF entity 11 a, 11 bor 11 c for that particular UE's PDU session.

In another alternative, the ECB 8 may interact with the MEC orchestrator3 and with the AMF 1 or SMF 2 to dynamically retrieve the mostappropriate EC PoP according to current UE location.

The network delay between the different Access Points and the existingEC PoPs might advantageously be known a priori by any of these entitiesinvolved in FIG. 4 illustration. This information helps for proper QoSassurance and UPF (re)selection in the SMF 2.

Regarding other edge cloud application aspects, the application providermay interact with the ECB 8 for negotiation of edge cloud capabilities,for example, requesting ultra-low delay requirements. The edge cloudapplication may provide a binary image to be deployed in an Edge Cloud(e.g. by means of a repository).

In case the edge cloud application is already deployed in an Edge Cloudout of the operator's domain, for example belonging to a certain LocalData Network, then the application provider may ask the operator toredirect traffic to the edge cloud application via PCF 4, as this casejust involves traffic steering.

The application-related traffic may be identified by the UPF entity 11a, 11 b or 11 c, for example, via depth packet inspection (DPI)techniques, upon request from the ECB 8.

To this end, in an alternative, the ECB 8 notifies the PCF 4 of thedeployment of a certain edge cloud application. The PCF 4 then triggerscorresponding 5G PCC rule for that edge cloud application toward the SMF2, which activates the event trigger for application start/stopnotification.

In another alternative, the ECB 8 notifies the SMF 2 directly of thedeployment of a certain edge cloud application. The SMF 2 then indicatesto the UPF entity (e.g. 11 b) to activate the application start/stopnotification (not depicted in any drawing).

Regarding the scenarios that may take place upon the initial requestfrom the application provider to the ECB, a first scenario may arisewherein no operator's subscriber is executing the edge cloudapplication, e.g. because the edge cloud application is new (or anyother reason) and no subscriber has installed such new edge cloudapplication. In this case, there is no precondition. The operator startshandling the edge cloud application before any of its subscribers haveit installed.

A second scenario may arise wherein a number of subscribers areexecuting the edge cloud application, e.g. the edge cloud application isexecuted in the central DN, which is not Edge Cloud dependent, or theedge cloud application is executed in an Edge Cloud out of theoperator's domain. In this case, there may be preconditions, e.g.application start/stop activation in SMF or UPF. Also in this case,application usage, mobility and/or other statistics may be used foroptimizing edge cloud resources allocation. These can be retrieved fromthe CEF 7.

In this second scenario, users' redirection is usually under operatorcontrol, but it may involve some challenges. For example, determiningwhether all users are redirected or just some of them, determining thecategory of users to be redirected (e.g. operator premium subscribers)and/or determining whether the edge cloud application can indicate whatusers or flows are to be redirected.

Participating in the methods discussed above and in support of EdgeCloud, the functionality provided by the ECB 8 has been discussed. ThisECB is used for selecting edge cloud resources 12 a or 12 b of a MECnetwork 100, the edge cloud resources being applicable to a UE 9accessing an NG network 200. Particular embodiments for this ECB 8 arerespectively discussed in the following with reference to FIG. 10 andFIG. 11.

In accordance with an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, the ECB 8 maybe operable to obtain via receiver 830, from a first network node (e.g.AMF 1) of the NG network, a UE's location; obtain via the receiver 830,from a second network node (e.g. SMF 2) of the NG network, an identifierof an edge cloud application that the UE requests; and obtain via thereceiver 830, from a third network node (e.g. MEC orchestrator 3) of theMEC network, a location 11 a-11 b of each one or more edge cloudresources 12 a-12 b available to execute the edge cloud application.

Once these data are obtained, the ECB 8 may further be operable toselect, based on at least the UE's location and the location of each oneor more edge cloud resources, an applicable edge cloud resource toexecute the edge cloud application for the UE 9.

Advantageously, this ECB 8 may further be operable to notify viatransmitter 840, a fourth network node (e.g. PCF 4) of the NG network,of the applicable edge cloud resource for the fourth network node toapply policies for execution of the edge cloud application. Where thisis the case, this notification may comprise anyone of an identifier ofthe edge cloud application, a UE identifier, quality of servicerequirements, and the location of the applicable edge cloud resource.

In particular sub-embodiments, apart from the receiver 830 and thetransmitter 840, the ECB 8 may comprise anyone of a UE locator 822configured to obtain the UE's location, an application handler 824configured to obtain the identifier of the edge cloud application thatthe UE requests, a resource handler 826 configured to obtain thelocation 11 a-11 b of each one or more edge cloud resources 12 a-12 bavailable to execute the edge cloud application, and a resource selector828 configured to select, based on at least the UE's location and thelocation of each one or more edge cloud resources, the applicable edgecloud resource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE.

The UE locator 822, the application handler 824, the resource handler826 and the resource selector 828 may be implemented as combinations ofhardware and software in separate modules and communicated with thereceiver 830 and the transmitter 840.

In accordance with an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the ECB 8 maycomprise at least one processor 820, and at least one memory 810 thatstores processor-executable instructions 814. In this ECB, the at leastone processor interfaces with the at least one memory to execute theprocessor-executable instructions, whereby the ECB is operable toperform the actions disclosed in the following.

The ECB 8 is thus operable to obtain via receiver 830, from a firstnetwork node (e.g. AMF 1) of the NG network, a UE's location; obtain viathe receiver 830, from a second network node (e.g. SMF 2) of the NGnetwork, an identifier of an edge cloud application that the UErequests; and obtain via the receiver 830, from a third network node(e.g. MEC orchestrator 3) of the MEC network, a location 11 a-11 b ofeach one or more edge cloud resources 12 a-12 b available to execute theedge cloud application.

The ECB 8 is also operable to select, based on at least the UE'slocation and the location of each one or more edge cloud resources, anapplicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloud application forthe UE 9.

As for the embodiment discussed above with reference to FIG. 10, also inthis embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 the ECB 8 may further beconfigured to notify via transmitter 840, a fourth network node (e.g.PCF 4) of the NG network, of the applicable edge cloud resource for thefourth network node to apply policies for execution of the edge cloudapplication. Where this is the case, this notification may compriseanyone of an identifier of the edge cloud application, a UE identifier,quality of service requirements, and the location of the applicable edgecloud resource.

In particular sub-embodiments of the ECB 8 illustrated in FIG. 11, a UElocator 822 running in a processor 820 may obtain the UE's location, anapplication handler 824 running in a processor 820 may obtain theidentifier of the edge cloud application that the UE requests, aresource handler 826 running in a processor 820 may obtain the location11 a-11 b of each one or more edge cloud resources 12 a-12 b availableto execute the edge cloud application, and a resource selector 828running in a processor 820 may select, based on at least the UE'slocation and the location of each one or more edge cloud resources, theapplicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloud application forthe UE.

If required at all, the ECB 8 may be complemented with a data section818 in memory to store the UE's location, the identifier of the edgecloud application that the UE requests, and the location of each one ormore edge cloud resources available to execute the edge cloudapplication.

The ECB 8 illustrated in FIG. 11 may thus comprise the at least oneprocessor 820 and the at least one memory 810, both in communicationwith each other, with the UE locator 822, the application handler 824,the resource handler 826, the resource selector 828, the receiver 830and the transmitter 840, and with other elements or units of the ECB 8.The at least one memory 810 may comprise volatile and/or non-volatilememory. In particular, the at least one memory 810 may have a computerprogram 814 and data 818 stored therein. The computer program 814 may beloaded in the at least one memory 810 from a computer program product850, such as any non-transitory computer readable medium, in which thecomputer program is stored. The data 818 may comprise the UE's location,the identifier of the edge cloud application that the UE requests, andthe location of each one or more edge cloud resources available toexecute the edge cloud application. The at least one processor 820 maybe configured to carry out the functions of the UE locator 822, theapplication handler 824, the resource handler 826, and the resourceselector 828.

Further sub-embodiments for the ECB are discussed in the following,these further sub-embodiments being applicable for both embodimentsdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.

In a sub-embodiment, the ECB 8 may further be operable to obtain via thereceiver 830, from a fifth network node (e.g. UDM 5) of the NG network,a subscription profile for the UE; and select the applicable edge cloudresource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE also based onthe subscription profile for the UE.

In another sub-embodiment, the ECB 8 may further be operable to obtain,via the receiver 830, from a sixth network node (e.g. applicationcontroller 6) of an application provider domain, requirements for theedge cloud application to be executed; obtain via the receiver 830, fromthe second network node (e.g. SMF 2) of the NG network, informationrelating to UEs that are executing the edge cloud application in the NGnetwork; and select the applicable edge cloud resource to execute theedge cloud application also based on the requirements for the edge cloudapplication to be executed and the information relating to the UEs thatare executing the edge cloud application in the NG network.

In a further sub-embodiment, the ECB 8 may further be operable to notifyvia transmitter 840, the third network node (e.g. MEC orchestrator 3) ofthe MEC network, of the applicable edge cloud resource to execute theedge cloud application for the UE.

Apart from the UE locator 822, the application handler 824, the resourcehandler 826, and the resource selector 828, which may be running in aprocessor 820 for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, or implementedas combinations of hardware and software in separate modules for theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, there may be an additional datahandler (not illustrated in any drawing) running in a processor 820and/or implemented as combinations of hardware and software in aseparate module; the additional data handler being in charge ofhandling, for example, the subscription profile for a UE, requirementsfor the edge cloud application to be executed, information relating toUEs that are executing the edge cloud application in the NG network, andthe like.

For the above embodiments and sub-embodiments, the location of an edgecloud resource may identify an EC PoP 13 a-13 d.

As commented above by way of examples, the first network node mayimplement an AMF 1 of the NG network, the second network node mayimplement an SMF 2 of the NG network, the third network node mayimplement a MEC orchestrator 3 of the MEC network, the fourth networknode may implement a PCF 4 of the NG network, the fifth network node mayimplement a UDM 5 of the NG network, and the sixth network node mayimplement an Application controller 6 of an application provider domain.

The invention may also be practised by a one or more computer program,each computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on atleast one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out atleast one of the methods discussed above.

As used throughout the present specification, the word “comprising” doesnot exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listedand the words “a” or “an” preceding an element do not exclude thepresence of a plurality of such elements.

The invention is described above in connection with various embodimentsthat are intended to be illustrative and non-restrictive. It is expectedthat those of ordinary skill in this art may modify these embodiments.The scope of the invention is defined by the claims in conjunction withthe description and drawings, and all modifications that fall within thescope of the claims are intended to be included therein.

1. An edge cloud broker, ECB, node for selecting edge cloud resources ofa mobile edge computing, MEC, network, applicable to a user equipment,UE, accessing a next generation, NG, network, the ECB node operable to:obtain, from a first network node of the NG network via receiver, a UE'slocation; obtain, from a second network node of the NG network via thereceiver, an identifier of an edge cloud application that the UErequests; obtain, from a third network node of the MEC network via thereceiver, a location of each one or more edge cloud resources availableto execute the edge cloud application; and select, based on at least theUE's location and the location of each one or more edge cloud resources,an applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloud applicationfor the UE.
 2. The ECB node of claim 1, further operable to notify, afourth network node of the NG network via transmitter, of the applicableedge cloud resource for the fourth network node to apply policies forexecution of the edge cloud application.
 3. The ECB node of claim 2,wherein the notification comprises anyone of an identifier of the edgecloud application, a UE identifier, quality of service requirements, andthe location of the applicable edge cloud resource.
 4. The ECB node ofclaim 1, further operable to: obtain, from a fifth network node of theNG network via the receiver, a subscription profile for the UE; andselect the applicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloudapplication for the UE also based on the subscription profile for theUE.
 5. The ECB node of claim 1, further operable to: obtain, from asixth network node of an application provider domain via the receiver,requirements for the edge cloud application to be executed; obtain, fromthe second network node of the NG network via the receiver, informationrelating to UEs that are executing the edge cloud application in the NGnetwork; and select the applicable edge cloud resource to execute theedge cloud application also based on the requirements for the edge cloudapplication to be executed and the information relating to the UEs thatare executing the edge cloud application in the NG network.
 6. The ECBnode of claim 1, further operable to notify, the third network node ofthe MEC network via transmitter (840), of the applicable edge cloudresource to execute the edge cloud application for the UE.
 7. The ECBnode claim 1, wherein the first network node implements an access andmobility management function, AMF, of the NG network.
 8. The ECB node ofclaim 1, wherein the second network node implements a session managementfunction, SMF, of the NO network.
 9. The ECB node of claim 1, whereinthe third network node implements a MEC orchestrator of the MEC network.10. The ECB node of claim 2, wherein the fourth network node implementsa policy control function, PCF, of the NG network.
 11. The ECB node ofclaim 4, wherein the fifth network node implements a unified datamanagement function, UDM, of the NG network.
 12. The ECB node of claim5, wherein the sixth network node implements an Application controllerof an application provider domain.
 13. The ECB node of claim 1, whereinthe location of an edge cloud resource identifies an edge cloud point ofpresence, EC PoP.
 14. A method for selecting edge cloud resources of amobile edge computing, MEC, network, the edge cloud resources beingusable by a user equipment, UE, accessing a next generation, NG,network, the method carried out at an edge cloud broker, ECB, node andcomprising: obtaining, from a first network node of the NG network viareceiver, a UE's location; obtaining, from a second network node of theNG network via the receiver, an identifier of an edge cloud applicationthat the UE requests; obtaining, from a third network node of the MECnetwork via the receiver, a location of each one or more edge cloudresources available to execute the edge cloud application; andselecting, based on at least the UE's location and the location of eachone or more edge cloud resources, an applicable edge cloud resource toexecute the edge cloud application for the UE.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein the method further comprises notifying, a fourth networknode of the NG network via transmitter, of the applicable edge cloudresource for the fourth network node to apply policies for execution ofthe edge cloud application.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinnotifying of the applicable edge cloud resource comprises notifyinganyone of an identifier of the edge cloud application, a UE identifier,quality of service requirements, and the location of the applicable edgecloud resource.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the method furthercomprises: obtaining, from a fifth network node of the NG network viathe receiver, a subscription profile for the UE; and selecting theapplicable edge cloud resource to execute the edge cloud application forthe UE also based on the subscription profile for the UE.
 18. The methodof claim 14, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining, from asixth network node of an application provider domain via the receiver,requirements for the edge cloud application to be executed; obtaining,from the second network node of the NG network via the receiver,information relating to UEs that are executing the edge cloudapplication in the NG network; and selecting the applicable edge cloudresource to execute the edge cloud application also based on therequirements for the edge cloud application to be executed and theinformation relating to the UEs that are executing the edge cloudapplication in the NG network.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein themethod further comprises notifying, the third network node of the MECnetwork via transmitter, of the applicable edge cloud resource toexecute the edge cloud application for the UE.
 20. The method of claim14, wherein the first network node implements an access and mobilitymanagement function, AMF, of the NG network.
 21. The method of claim 14,wherein the second network node implements a session managementfunction, SMF, of the NG network.
 22. The method of claim 14, whereinthe third network node implements a MEC orchestrator of the MEC network.23. The method of claim 15, wherein the fourth network node implements apolicy control function, PCF, of the NG network.
 24. The method of claim17, wherein the fifth network node implements a unified data managementfunction, UDM, of the NG network.
 25. (canceled)
 26. The method of claim14, wherein the location of an edge cloud resource identifies an edgecloud point of presence, EC PoP.
 27. A computer program, comprisinginstructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause theat least one processor to carry out the method according to claim 14.28. (canceled)